Frazier Fathers says he wants to find work in Windsor. But with $35,000 in student debt and few jobs seeking a candidate with two graduate degrees, eventually he may have to move to a larger market.

Fathers is just one of many university-educated workers struggling to find a job.

Young people coming out of university are facing higher debt loads to repay and higher unemployment rates than high school or college grads, according to data from Statistics Canada.

“There just aren’t that many opportunities in the city,” Fathers said.

Fathers’ fiancée is finishing a PhD at the University of Windsor, which means the last resort would be to find work elsewhere and live apart. But the contract work he’s found to date — about 20 to 30 hours a week — just isn’t enough to pay down his student loans.

He said he may resort to finding a job for which he’s overqualified, with lower pay but stability.

“I’ve done it in the past. It’s a fact of life accepted at this point,” he said.

Dan Brown co-ordinates YKnot, a program that aims to keep young people in the city instead of watching them leave.

“We know that employment and careers is a big issue. On the other hand, those jobs won’t come if employers and companies don’t feel there’s a talent pool to draw from,” Brown said.

Brown said a large part of the problem is the perception that Windsor is not a place for opportunity. He said one study showed that more than half of students at the University of Windsor plan to leave the city before they even graduate.

Jason Tang said his undergraduate degree in business administration got him jobs in retail, but he just couldn’t crack into the industry.

“A flock of classmates left Windsor to find work. I stayed here,” he said.

After several years working in sales for telecommunications companies, he decided to go back to college with a commitment to networking and gaining more concrete skills.

He studied public relations at St. Clair College, and after his graduation this April he’s taken on part time work with Caesars Windsor and WEtech Alliance.

“If you don’t put yourself out there nothing’s going to happen,” he said, adding that it’s a lesson he wishes he had understood earlier.

That focus on networking and financial planning is something staff at the University of Windsor’s student success centre are trying to promote.

“I think we go back to, ‘What are you doing to enhance yourself or to strengthen your skills for the workplace?’” said Beth Oakley, the director of the centre.

She said that kind of thinking has to start young — and parents have a responsibility to help students understand their debt and financial planning before they get to university.

“There is no magic answer. It just boils down to how much can you persevere,” said Marian Doll, the director of student awards and financial aid.

She said some graduates struggle because employers think they’re overqualified and know they won’t stay in the position, while the jobs with higher qualifications can be harder to find.

She said in that case, sometimes mobility is the answer.

Tanya Antoniw, executive director of Workforce Windsor Essex, said sometimes people need to look at their transferable skills.

“It may not be your identified job of choice but you can use (a related job) to get in the door and promote your career,” she said.

From 2007 to 2012, Windsor’s population lost 6,227 people to other communities.

Antoniw said one way to try to keep those people here is to encourage networking with the job market while students are still finishing their studies.

For Keely Murdock, 23, it’s a matter of engaging with the community and choosing a degree tailored to the career you want.

Murdock sought work in Windsor without success with a partial degree from Brock University. She’s now working on a degree in social work at the University of Windsor and has amassed even more student debt through a line of credit and provincial loans.

“To be honest it’s still a little bit scary,” she said. “I think I just believe enough in my work ethic and believe that eventually I’ll be able to work it down.”

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